


Never Replaced

by mggislife2789



Category: Aaron Hotchner - Fandom, Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 00:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8946358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry ;)





	

“Are you ready?” Aaron asked you, twitching with nervousness over introducing you to his son. He had lost his wife two years ago to a serial killer named George Foyet, and six-year-old Jack still missed his mother every day. Aaron was worried that Jack would think he was trying to replace Hayley, but that could never happen.

You knew you were going to make it a point to let Jack know that you had no intention of trying to replace his mother - all you wanted was to make Aaron, and hopefully Jack, happy. “I’m ready,” you said, grabbing Aaron’s hand and rubbing his palm. You had both already talked about getting married one day, you loved Aaron more than you could’ve possibly imagined, but you also knew that if Jack absolutely hated you, there was no way the relationship would work. He had to do what was best for his son, so as much as you said you were ready, you were extremely anxious. 

As you walked in the door hand-in-hand, you greeted Jessica, Hayley’s sister, who you’d met before. She was unbelievably sweet and was never anything but nice to you. “Jack’s in his room,” she said, “I’ll go get him.”

Seconds later, Jack ran out of his room to hug Aaron, immediately asking about his dad’s ‘friend.’ “This is my girlfriend, Jack. Her name is Y/N.”  
“What’s a girlfriend?” the little boy asked innocently, staring at you with unbridled curiosity.

Aaron took a deep breath, trying to find the best way to explain the situation to his still young son. “A girlfriend is a woman that you love.”  
“Like mommy?” he asked, the sadness in his eyes evident. He was so young, but he’d already been through so much.

Aaron’s breath caught in his throat and you saw Jessica flinch out of the corner of your eye. “Kind of. I love Y/N, like I love mommy, but Y/N isn’t here to replace mommy. She’s someone new.”

You crouched down, making eye contact with his son and fearing the worst. His lip started to quiver. “But I don’t want a new lady, I want mommy back!” he cried, turning away and running back toward his room. You had expected as much, but it still hurt; it made you worry. You and Aaron had discussed giving Jack time to adjust, but if he didn’t adjust somewhat quickly, Aaron wasn’t sure what he was going to do - you didn’t want to lose him.

Your boyfriend, almost fiancee, stood up, pulling you into him and kissing your temple. “I’m sure he’ll adjust in time,” he said, trying to hide the shaky nervousness in his voice.

“I hope so,” you replied.

\-------------------

Over the course of the next month or so, you went out with Aaron and Jack sparingly, trying not to overwhelm him with too much contact at once. He was starting to ask you questions - mostly asking you to play with him, and you happily obliged, but he still seemed uneasy around you.

“Hey, Jack,” you said, smoothing his hair back. “I’m just gonna go talk to your daddy for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, Y/N,” he replied, quickly looking back toward his toy.

You walked into the kitchen where Aaron was cooking dinner and kissed him on the cheek. “Hi honey,” you said, wrapping your arms around his waist.  
“How’s everything going?” he asked.

“I think everything’s going well,” you replied. “He’s still very tentative with me though. I was thinking...if you’re okay with it, maybe I can take Jack out by myself one day? Let him get to know me apart from you?”

“I think he’d be able to handle that,” Aaron said, stirring the pasta sauce. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

You were feeling more comfortable about your relationship with Jack, but you wanted to cement it. “I think so. I want him to know that I don’t intend to replace Hayley and I think if he hears it from me, it might be better than it coming from you.”

“You’re probably right,” he responded, “How about this weekend?”

“That sounds great. I think I’ll take him to the park, out to eat and maybe the toy store,” you smiled.

\-------------------

Quickly, the weekend approached and you drove to Aaron’s apartment, ready for your day out with Jack. When you got upstairs, you said a silent plea to whoever was listening that the day would go well. As you turned the key, you heard Aaron telling Jack to get ready.

“Hello boys,” you said, walking in the door and giving your boyfriend a quick kiss. “You ready to go, Jack?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “Daddy said we’re going to the park first?”

“That’s right, little man,” you said, grabbing his hand. “Wave bye to daddy. We’ll be back later.”

“Bye, Daddy,” he said.

“Be good for Y/N,” he replied, giving you a thumbs up as you walked out the door.

\-------------------

Jack was pretty quiet on your ride to the park, so you didn’t push it. Your hope was that he would start to open up to you. Within a few minutes, you arrived at the park, and Jack asked you to play on the jungle gym. Although the gym was way too small for you, you crouched and crawled and chased him around as though it were nothing. He laughed a lot and seemed to be having a great time, but he still wasn’t asking about anything other than playing.

After about an hour and a half, he seemed to be losing a little bit of energy, so you decided to see if he wanted to eat. “Hey, little man. Do you want to go get something to eat?”

“Can I get chicken fingers and french fries?” he asked expectantly.

“Of course you can,” you replied, grabbing his hand once again. “Let’s go!” You ran hand-in-hand back to the car.

\--

Once you were seated at the table and your orders were placed, you decided to approach your relationship with Aaron with him. “Hey Jack, can I tell you something?” He shook his head up and down.

You reached across the table and grabbed his little hand. “I want you to know that I love your daddy, but I don’t want to replace your mommy.” At the mention of Hayley, he seemed to tense a little, but you rubbed his hands reassuringly. “I just want to make you and your daddy happy. You know that, right?”  
He shook his head again. “Uh-huh,” he said. “Did daddy tell you about what happened to mommy?”

“Yes, he did sweetie. I am so sorry your mommy is gone, but you know she still loves you, right? She looks over you every day.”

He nodded happily. “Sometimes daddy and I light a candle and talk to mommy. Would you want to talk to mommy with us?”

Your heart lightened - he seemed to understand. “I would love to, honey.”  
\-------------------

A few hours later, with stomachs filled and a new toy to play with, you and Jack returned to their apartment. Before he went to his room, he turned back to you and gave you a hug. You kissed him on the forehead and patted his back as he bounded back to his room.

Aaron was a little surprised - he was apparently more nervous than he let on. “Everything went well?” he asked.

“Yes,” you said, pressing a relaxed kiss to his cheek. “We talked about Hayley. I told him I didn’t want to replace her and he brought up the fact that you talk to her sometimes - at night. He actually asked if I wanted to talk to her with you some day.”

“Really?” he asked, all the tension releasing from his shoulders. That was a big step for Jack. “That’s amazing.”

“Yea,” you replied, burying your head in his chest. It was such a relief - at first, you weren’t sure if this relationship was going to work. You weren’t going to push Aaron if Jack couldn’t warm up to you - but it seemed that he was.

\-------------------

Six weeks later and you were frequenting Aaron and Jack’s apartment nearly every day that Aaron was home, and sometimes even went to see Jack when Jessica was babysitting. Short dates turned to longer ones and eventually into overnight stays. Then one night, Jack said he wanted to talk to Hayley.

Aaron stood up to go to Jack’s room, but you didn’t want to intrude if Jack wasn’t ready. Thankfully however, he ran back to you. “Do you want to talk to mommy too?” he asked.

You looked over at Aaron who was smiling softly. “Of course, honey.”

Jack ran into his room and crept in bed, waiting for Aaron to light candles and pass them to both Jack and yourself. “Hi mommy,” Jack said, looking at the picture on his night stand. “I miss you a lot.” You couldn’t imagine how hard it was for such a little boy to lose his mother the way that he did. “Daddy has a new girlfriend though. She’s here too.” He looked over to you, as if he wanted you to start talking, so you did.

“Hi Hayley,” you started. From what Aaron had told you, she was quite the woman, so you wanted to make a good impression. “You have quite the adorable and amazing little boy here. I love him a lot.” You hadn’t yet told Jack you loved him, but it felt right so you allowed the sentiment to come out. When you looked toward him, he was smiling. “I want you to know that I will do everything I possibly can to keep your memory alive for Jack. And I also promise to protect him and love him for as long as I live.” A small tear fell from your eye as you reached for Jack’s hand.

Aaron said nothing, allowing you and Jack to take the lead this time. Jack started up again and took you both by surprise. “Mommy, do you think it would be okay if I call Y/N mommy too? I don’t want you to be mad.”

“Mommy wouldn’t be mad,” Aaron said, his eyes glistening with tears. “She loved you so much. She would want you to be happy. Is that okay with you?” he asked, turning his head toward you.

“Absolutely,” you replied. “How about you call mommy, Mommy and me, mama? That way you can have different names for the two of us.”

“Okay, mama,” he said, handing the candle to his father and giving you a hug. You grasped him tightly, not wanting to let go. Even before you met him, you loved him like he was your own. After a few more words, he looked up again. “We’ll talk to you soon, mommy.” Gently, he blew out the candle and snuggled up in the blanket.

“Goodnight, Jack,” you both said, walking out of Jack’s room.

“Night, daddy. Night, mama,” he replied, closing his eyes.

As you closed the door to his room, you let the tears flow a little bit more, wrapping your arms around Aaron’s neck. “I love you, Aaron and I love him. So much.”  
“I love you, too,” he responded. “And deep down I knew he’d love you too.”


End file.
